A Shred of Evidence (44 page)

Gordy took Pam by the hand and walked through the dining
room. He winked at Weezie and then went outside on the back deck and walked up to the table where his friends were seated. The conversation trailed off and then stopped, all eyes on Gordy and the woman in a blue sundress standing next to him.

“Okay, everybody. This is Pam Townsend. Pam, this is—”

“You must be Adam,” Pam said. “And you’re Captain. And you must be Eddie.”

Each of the guys shook hands with Pam, and then Gordy seated her at the table. “You guys be nice to my lady I’ll be right back.”

He went inside and caught Weezie’s eye and nodded toward his office. They got there at almost the same time.

“So what’d you think?” Gordy said.

“I couldn’t be happier for you. I haven’t seen that sparkle in your eyes in a long, long time.”

“Sometimes I feel guilty, like I’m bein’ unfaithful or somethin’.”

Weezie took her index finger and poked his chest. “Then you better be remindin’ yourself of what Jenny said: that you shouldn’t keep your love bottled up for long or you’ll self-destruct. She knew how important it was, that’s why she said it.”

“It’s still feels a little weird goin’ out with another woman.”

“Apparently not
too
. Pam’s crazy about you. And I can tell you like her—a lot.”

“Now don’t go puttin’ the cart before the horse. We’ve only been seein’ each other for a couple of weeks.”

Weezie lifted her eyebrows, her hand on her hip. “Uh-huh. And what do you expect me to think when you come in here wearin’ that fancy yellow shirt you brought back from Brazil?”

Gordy threw his head back and laughed, then put his arm around her. “I expect you to think positive, Weezie. Somethin’ tells me life is just gonna get sweeter.”

Ellen stood in the alcove of the widow’s watch, her eyes drinking in the glistening blue waters of the gulf. Off in the distance
on her favorite stretch of beach, she could barely make out a couple walking hand-in-hand along the surf, a child riding on the man’s shoulders. She put the binoculars to her eyes and smiled, her heart overflowing with gratitude for the restoration God had allowed her to be a part of.

She dabbed her eyes and went back to her desk and turned on the laptop. In the past couple of weeks, it was as though her novel had taken on a life of its own and she was merely along for the ride. Everything she had experienced about gossip, about prejudging, about the smallness of people and the greatness of God seemed to flow through her onto the pages, coming to life through her characters.

It occurred to Ellen that perhaps her novel was meant to do more than entertain, that God had given her an opportunity to let her characters articulate the truths she had struggled so to grasp. Perhaps her job was to listen well and tell their story.

She sat quietly for a long while, trying to think of a title; and then it came to her as unexpectedly as the new direction of her novel. She brought up the title page on the screen, a smile of satisfaction on her face, and typed in the words:
A Shred of Evidence
.

Julie Hamilton nestled on a beach towel facing Ross, Sarah Beth sound asleep between them. She gazed into her husband’s eyes and felt no need to spoil this sacred moment with words.

Julie rested her hand on Sarah Beth’s chest and felt the rhythmic beating of her heart. She imagined the Creator having placed within her daughter at conception a precision timepiece, which could not be stopped until the days ordained for her were completed. There was no doubt in Julie’s mind that Sarah Beth had been in the hollow of God’s hand the eight days she was missing. But she still hadn’t reconciled Nathaniel’s untimely death.

“What are you thinking about?” Ross said softly.

“Our children. Why one was spared—and the other
wasn’t. I have a lot of questions to ask the Lord someday.”

Ross covered her hand with his. “One thing I
do
know: He would’ve been there to comfort us if we’d let Him. I’m glad you talked to Ellen. I’m so ready to get back in church.”

“Me, too. We had the nicest morning. I think we’re going to be good friends. Of course, Sarah Beth sang ‘Jesus Loves Me’ and got tickled with herself. Ellen thinks she’s the cat’s meow.”

Ross smiled. “Ellen’s right.”

“I also told her we’ve dropped the charges, and she seemed pleased. Once the legalities are behind us, I’d like us to think about meeting Billy and Lisa.”

“Funny you should say that. I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

Sarah Beth yawned, her tiny hands turning to fists while she stretched one side of her body, and then the other. She batted her eyes sleepily and then looked over at Ross, an impish grin spreading across her face. “Water get me!”

He chuckled. “Okay baby doll, let’s go do it again.”

Julie sat upright and hugged her knees, overjoyed at the sight of Sarah Beth riding atop her daddy’s shoulders, her hands clinging tightly to his, her beautiful curls aglow in the afternoon sun.

“It’s gonna
get
you!” Ross shrieked as he ran away from the approaching surf, the sound of Sarah Beth’s belly laughing ever so reminiscent of her brother’s.

Julie’s thoughts drifted back to an afternoon much like this one, when she had sat on the beach in Biloxi, watching Ross play this same game with Nathaniel, and wondering if the child in her womb would bring them as much happiness as Nathaniel had.

She leaned back on her palms, her face tilted up toward the endless blue, joy trickling down her cheeks, and thanked God she didn’t have to wonder anymore.

D
ear friends,

How powerful words are—not only those we speak, but also those we listen to! Gossip comes cloaked in many disguises, but its function is always the same: to pass on information that the recipient doesn’t need to hear, and which most often results in diminishing the person being talked about.

In today’s world, the media can often be intrusive, eager to meet the people’s demand that they have “the right to know.”

But the Scriptures don’t support that type of conduct in our relationships with one another. Ephesians 4:29 couldn’t state it any more clearly, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Webster’s defines gossip as, “Idle talk or rumor, especially about the private affairs of others.” Based on that definition and the words of Ephesians 4:29,
I
wonder if we aren’t guilty of gossip far more than we realize.

I’d like to think most Christians avoid
malicious
gossip. But do we engage in idle talk about the private affairs of others? Do we talk about the negatives instead of the positives we see in others? And when we share prayer requests with other people, do we simply dress up our gossip in a different costume the way Blanche Davis did?

But what should we do when we hear gossip that suggests someone might be in danger? Ellen’s conscience and good sense wouldn’t let her simply ignore the allegations she’d heard about
Ross. And though she might have done better to confront Eddie first instead of going directly to his boss and then the police chief, her motives were pure. Her downfall came when she allowed the gossip to win her over without facts to prove Ross’s guilt.

Gossip produces bad fruit. So why do we let it entice us? Perhaps the best way to avoid being seduced by gossip is to run from it—to refuse to listen. The time to decide how we will respond is
before
it happens.

In our twenty-first century world of computer hackers, spy-ware, security cameras, and in-your-face media coverage, personal privacy is more precious than ever before. Maybe one of the greatest acts of love we can offer each other is respecting each other’s boundaries by doing what Ned Norton did: praying for people and giving them space to be imperfect and the Lord space to work. We don’t have to know what’s going on behind the scenes of someone else’s life.

The words we choose can be immeasurably powerful. Let us use them to build up the Kingdom of God, not tear down those He created.

I invite you to join me for book two in the Seaport Suspense series,
Eye of the Beholder
, where we will meet some interesting new characters and revisit some we’ve already gotten to know. It promises to be a page-turner, so catch up on your sleep!

I love hearing from my readers. You can write to me through my publisher at
www.letstalkfiction.com
or directly through my website at
www.kathyherman.com
. I read and respond to every e-mail and greatly value your input.

In Him
,

1. To qualify as gossip, does information have to be untrue? Can revealing truth about someone be just as detrimental? If so, can you give an example?
   

2. Can you explain Proverbs 18:8 in your own words? “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.” Why do you think gossip seems so palatable?
   

3. Have you ever been gossiped about? Was the information passed on true or false? How did it make you feel? How did you handle it? Did you confront the offending party? If so, did that put a stop to it?
   

4. Have you ever been guilty of gossiping about someone? If so, did the person find out? How did it make you feel? If the person didn’t find out, were you bothered by your actions? Should you have been?
   

5. Do you think Ephesians 4:29 also applies to gossip? “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Is it possible to gossip without realizing it? Or is gossip a conscious choice? Do good motives lessen the damage? Should they?
   

6. What was Eddie Drummond’s motive was for passing on information about Ross Hamilton? Do you think his concern was laced with jealousy? Could he have handled the situation better? If so, how?
   

7. Was Ellen Jones justified in going to Eddie’s boss with the information she’d overheard? The police? Was she guilty of gossip? Where do you draw the line between gossip and repeating information out of genuine concern?
   

8. What do you think Blanche Davis’s motive was in asking for prayer for Ellen’s supposed adultery? Can prayers be gossip? Have you ever left a prayer circle feeling as if you learned something you shouldn’t have about someone? Have you ever revealed more about someone than you should have when asking for prayer? Have you repeated something you heard in a prayer circle even though you knew it should be kept confidential? If so, why?
   

9. What reaction did you have to Valerie Mink Hodges’s article about Ross Hamilton (
   Chapter 7
   )? Not knowing anything more than what you saw in print, would you have been swayed by it? Do you think media reporting can be gossip?
   

10. Did Ellen have the right motive when she called Valerie Mink Hodges to discuss her suspicion about Ross Hamilton? Would you have handled it differently?
    

11. Could you relate to Gordy Jameson’s disgust at being gossiped about? Did he feel any less violated because the gossip wasn’t malicious? Do you think he handled it the right way by confronting Melody Drummond? What would you have done?
    

12. What are some of the reasons people engage in gossip? Which character’s gossiping annoyed you the most? Why? If you could confront that character, what would say to him or her?
    

13. Did this story cause you to broaden your understanding of gossip? If yes, explain.
    

14. Was there a thought, a principle, a scene, or a character from the story that will stay with you?